State in detail about the thylakoid membrane
The thylakoid membrane contains all the factors associated with the photosynthetic electron transport leading to the generation of NADPH and ATP, which are utilised for the reduction of C02 into sugars and starch. Some of the major electron carrier proteins of the thylakoid membrane are the chlorophylls, constituting the light harvesting photosystems, plastoquinones, plastocyanins, ferridoxins and cytochrome b6. The chlorophyll pigments of the thylakoid membrane are organised into two distinct photosystems called the photosystems I and II. These two light harvesting systems respond to different regions of the visible light spectrum. While photosystem I is sensitive to far red light, photosystem I is sensitive to both far and near red light .Both systems function in a coordinated manner to utilise light to generate both ATP and NADPH. In marine bacteria and algae, chlorophylls are not present in separate organelles but are found in association with the cell membrane itself. Plant chloroplasts also possess a large number of starch granules. The chloroplast membranes are in a number of respects functionally similar to the mitochondrial membranes, as both are basically energy transducing membranes.